Actor Grant Gustin, who embodied the DC superhero The Flash in the CW series for almost a decade, has become a fan favorite, so much so that fans wanted him to continue his venture in the DC Extended Universe as well. While Ezra Miller landed the role for the superhero’s silver screen adaptation, many fans feel they didn’t capture the essence of The Flash as effectively as Gustin, particularly when it comes to the superhero’s running style.
Many also found Miller’s running style as the DC superhero kind of awkward. However, Gustin, who seemingly mastered the technique throughout his tenure on the CW show, attributed his smooth and convincing running style to his background in dancing, which has proven invaluable in mastering The Flash’s signature run.
Grant Gustin’s Dancing Background Came in Handy For The Flash
During an appearance on the Today show, Grant Gustin shared insight into his preparation to embody the Scarlet Speedster in the CW show. Despite his busy schedule, he mentioned that he still finds time to train occasionally.
“The show itself keeps me busy and kind of physically fit. I mean I trained somewhat,” he said. However, he also highlighted that his background as a tap dancer has helped him stay physically active, saying,
I’ve always been like pretty… physically active. I have a dance background which I think helps me a lot on the show — I started as a tap dancer and I kind of did it all as a kid.
As for how it helped with his role in the CW superhero TV series, the actor shared that his dance background has given him excellent body control, which has been helpful when it comes to running as The Flash.
“I really think it’s my dance background … it’s one thing I have a pretty good grasp on like how I’m supposed to look,” he shared on the Inside of You podcast. Ironically, Gustin admitted that he hated running as a child and even quit playing soccer because of it.
Grant Gustin Would Love to Play a Superhero in the Future
Portraying the lead role in the CW TV series nearly for a decade also had some downsides for the actor. In a conversation on the Inside of You podcast, the actor opened up about how the series kept him from pursuing other projects due to scheduling conflicts.
The past four hiatus’ now I’ve had a hiatus project that has fallen through because of ‘Flash’ so I feel like there’s a lot of other opportunities out there — like film and stage — that have gone away because of schedule conflicts, you know, so you just can’t have everything. So, it’s been all ‘Flash.’
However, Grant Gustin has also clarified that it still does not mean that he has no intention to return to the genre. In an interview with Backstage, he shared that he would love to play another superhero in the future. “People assume I would never want to do something like [‘The Flash’] again, but, I’m open to that,” he said.
“If I was lucky enough to get to do that or another genre-specific thing,” he further said, adding that he has always been fascinated with the sci-fi genre and hoped that his role as The Flash would open more opportunities in the future.
The Flash is available to stream on Prime Video.
